Recently Pope Francis slammed capitalism and the free market,
advocating redistribution of wealth and other steps to level out incomes
between rich and poor. What does the Bible say about Christianity and
capitalism?

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Christianity and Capitalism: Do They Go Together?

Last November, after barely eight months in office, the
Catholic Church's Pope Francis launched a firestorm of controversy with
his recent dictum, Evangelii Gaudium, or “The Joy of the Gospel.”
Probably no religious writing in recent history has raised the
eyebrows—and ire—of so many for its controversial views on economics and
balance of economic power in society. While Catholics do not consider
it commanded teaching from the Vatican, the papal exhortation
nonetheless spells out the views of the current pope and thus commands
respect from Catholics worldwide. Evangelii Gaudium begins with Francis comparing the joy
of receiving the Christian faith and the joy of missionary activity. He
calls for reforms in the Catholic Church's missionary outreach—among
them a greater emphasis on evangelizing efforts and a renewed call to
help the poor.
But the exhortation does not stop there. Francis goes on to call for
greater income equality, redistribution of wealth, and fundamental
changes to the economic order. This statement from section 204
underscores his concern: “We can no longer trust in the unseen forces
and the invisible hand of the market.” And he calls for action “beyond a
simple welfare mentality” that “attacks the structural causes
of inequality.”
He goes on to call for a redistribution of wealth and reform of
economic structures that would ensure greater equality of income and
opportunity. The rich, he says, should share their wealth and calls for a
new commandment: “Today we also have to say 'thou shalt not' to an
economy of exclusion and inequality.”

Pros and cons weigh in

Economists, politicians and pundits from both the left and right
have lauded or attacked the pope's exhortation. Some called parts of the
document “pure Marxism” and suggested that someone else may have
written the papal document for him.
Writing for the conservative Townhall magazine, John
Goodman commented that a search of almost any introductory economics
textbook would fail to turn up the terms “survival of the fittest,”
“trickle down theories,” or “powerful feeding on the powerless,” which
he termed “slurs used by the left to cast aspersions on free markets and
pro-growth markets” (“Papal Economics,” Dec. 21, 2013). He went on to
maintain that free-market economics, far from being a detriment to
society, are the single greatest cause of the prosperity millions
enjoy today.
Those on the left, predictably enough, lauded the document. In the Guardian,
a popular liberal newspaper, Jonathan Freedland said, “Francis could
replace Obama as the pin-up on every liberal and leftist wall” (“Why
Even Atheists Should Be Praying for Pope Francis,” Nov. 15, 2013). The New Republic praised Francis' stance on economic issues, while attacking his—and the Catholic Church's—views on abortion and homosexuality.
Even prominent Catholics differed in their reaction, some wondering
if the pope has gone too far. Robert Sirico, a Catholic priest who
cofounded the liberty-oriented Acton Institute and authored the book Defending the Free Market,
says in a YouTube video response that while Francis is not motivated
by political beliefs, he fails to note that economic prosperity over the
past century is largely the result of free market economics.
“How are we to respond to his warnings about mere temporary
responses to poverty … with the demonstrable benefits that we see
accruing to the poorest of the poor … which were made possible by
markets globalizing?” (Acton.org, Nov. 27, 2013). How, he asked, can the
pope ignore the reality that millions have greater access to jobs and
health care, and have risen out of poverty because of the globalization
of markets?
To Francis' concern about the dangers of “markets that are
unhampered,” Sirico asks, “Where are these unhampered markets?”—pointing
out that markets everywhere are bounded with regulations of every sort.
All of this raises very important questions about Christianity and
economics. Is it God's will that poverty be eradicated in this present
age? If not, what is Christianity's responsibility to the poor? Does the
Bible espouse any one economic system?

Why has God not eliminated poverty?

Poverty and income inequality are as old as mankind. It may surprise
you to learn that the Bible has much to say about poverty, the
distribution of wealth, and other economic matters.
“The poor will never cease from the land,” Moses was inspired to write in Deuteronomy 15:11.
Jesus Christ Himself seemed to echo that reality when the subject of
His anointing for burial came up shortly before His trial and death.
Asked by His disciples why He approved the use of expensive oil for His
anointing rather than having it sold and the money given to the poor,
Christ may have shocked the disciples with His answer: “The poor you
have with you always, but Me you do not have always” (John 12:8).
We know that a powerful and loving God could eradicate poverty at
any time. Yet He has not chosen to do so thus far. Is there a reason?
The surprising answer is that a time is coming when God will eradicate poverty—but more about that later. The fact is that our Creator has not chosen to do so in this present world.
Yet the Bible is replete with instructions on how to properly treat
those less well off. Students of the Bible know that more than 3,000
years ago God began dealing with one nation, ancient Israel. That nation
of 12 tribes that descended from Abraham was an agricultural society,
and it was given one of the most fertile areas of the Middle East as a
result of promises God made to Abraham (Genesis 12:7; Genesis 13:14-15).
Those with large landholdings tended to be better off, while many
small farmers eked out a modest living. Those without land or marketable
skills often found themselves in poverty. But God did not forget the
poor of the land and in His laws made provision for them.
For example, God provided a food supply for the poor to gather,
telling landowners: “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall
not wholly reap the corners of your field, nor shall you gather the
gleanings of your harvest. And you shall not glean your vineyard, nor
shall you gather every grape of your vineyard; you shall leave them to
the poor” (Leviticus 19:9).
It's noteworthy that the poor had to put forth the effort to gather the
food for themselves. They couldn't just go to a warehouse and claim it
or have it delivered to them.
It was also widely understood that family members took care of other
family members. And if a woman lost her husband, her children were
responsible for taking her in and caring for her.

Jesus' teaching and examples

Jesus Christ lived and taught in an area that was under crushing
Roman oppression. During His ministry, He taught and showed by His
personal example the right attitude toward those less well off.
Matthew's gospel records a time early in Christ's ministry when more
than 5,000 men, plus thousands of women and children, flocked to Him to
hear the gospel of the Kingdom of God. Many came from considerable
distances, and at the end of the day, rather than send them away hungry,
Jesus miraculously fed them from five small loaves of bread and two
fish. Read about it in Matthew 14:13-21. Not long afterward He repeated the miracle, this time with a slightly smaller group of 4,000 men, plus women and children.
Each of the Gospel accounts relates dozens of miraculous healings
that Christ performed, mostly of poor people. Matthew alone relates many
of these acts of compassion. Jesus cleansed lepers (Matthew 8:1-4), healed a paralyzed man (Matthew 9:1-6), gave sight to two blind men (Matthew 9:27-31), and even cast demons out of the daughter of a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28).
Christ certainly showed compassion for the poor, a compassion He
taught to His disciples and by extension to us, both by word and
example. Just before His betrayal and death, He summed up what our
attitude should be toward those suffering from sickness, isolation and
poverty: “In as much as you did it unto one of the least of these my
brethren, you did it unto Me” (Matthew 25:40).
Christ's disciples didn't forget those examples, and carried on His example of mercy and compassion. Notice Acts 3:2-9.
The apostle Peter didn't have gold and silver to give to a lame man who
asked for alms. But he was able to give the man something of far
greater worth, telling him, “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6).
The New Testament teaching is clear. Today God is not performing
such dramatic miracles before the public through His people (though He
still does miraculously heal, and we should pray for that). But when we
see needs and have the ability to do something to help, it is our duty
to respond. That's what our Savior commanded.
Does this mean we literally sell all that we have and distribute it
to poor people around us? Many will point to Christ's encounter with a
rich young ruler as proof that income redistribution is the duty of all
Christians. But let's take a close look at Matthew 19:16-23.
Christ told the rich young ruler to “sell what you have and give to the
poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21).
When the young man went away sorrowful “because he had great
possessions,” Christ used it to illustrate the point that it is often
difficult for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God. He didn't tell His
disciples to proclaim a gospel of income equality, but to understand
that devotion to material wealth can be a major hindrance to
spiritual growth.
Indeed, the young man here was placing his wealth before God, which
is precisely why Jesus told Him to give it away. This wasn't a rule for
every person, for some are able to possess wealth while maintaining
proper perspective and living by love toward God and neighbor.
The early Church was characterized by wide spreads of income. Some
Christians were wealthy and powerful, as was the case with Philemon, to
whom the apostle Paul wrote. Others, such as Philemon's slave Onesimus,
were certainly much poorer. Yet Paul never condemns wealth. His concern
was for people's spiritual, not physical, wealth.

Does the Bible reveal a proper economy?

The Bible reveals that God has much to say about money and wealth.
Many of the most famous personalities of the Bible were clearly quite
wealthy. Genesis 13:1
tells us that “Abraham was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in
gold.” His son Isaac inherited much of his father's wealth and increased
it. Genesis 30 relates how Isaac's son Jacob was blessed with vast
herds of cattle, sheep and camels, so many that he had to come up with a
method for distinguishing his large herds from those of his
uncle, Laban.
Centuries later, King David became wealthy during the time of peace
he was able to bring to Israel. But it was his son Solomon who became
one of the richest men of all time. We find a detailed account of
Solomon's wealth and power in 1 Kings 4.
When God gave Israel the Promised Land, it was to be divided up so families received property portions relative to their size (Numbers 26:54, Numbers 33:50-54).
Even if land ownership changed hands due to economic or other hardship,
title to the land reverted to the original families every 50 years (Leviticus 25:10, Leviticus 25:13-17).
This provided for a generally even playing field economically, and
prevented individuals from permanently amassing huge amounts of land at
the expense of others.
It's clear that God does not condemn wealth or the acquisition of
wealth. The fact of wealth means inequality of income. Many today accept
that fact but attack the methods used to attain wealth. Throughout
history, much wealth has been attained through trade, business and
investing. Are these activities wrong? Notice what Jesus Himself taught
about the value of increasing wealth through proper investments.
Shortly before His death, Christ gave some final teachings to His disciples. In the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30,
He tells of a man taking a trip to a distant country. Before he leaves,
he apportions his goods to each of three servants, with the
understanding that they will try to increase what they are given.
Those who received five talents and two talents (a talent was about
6,000 denarii, probably ten years' average wages at the time) went out
and through various business dealings managed to double their money. A
third servant, who received only one talent, dug a hole in the ground
and hid it.
What did the wealthy man do on his return? He praised the actions of
the two servants who had doubled their money. But his reaction to the
lack of return of the third servant was far different. “You wicked and
lazy servant … you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers,
and at my return I would have received back my own with interest” (Matthew 25:27).
It's difficult to make a case that Jesus condemned wealth or legally
acquiring it. He did teach on several occasions, however, that wealth
and the pursuit of wealth can be a snare that distracts us from the
pursuit of righteousness. What this parable teaches is that we should
exercise and build on our spiritual talents, skills and abilities, which
to God is infinitely more important than our material wealth.
The Bible does make a case for a liberty-oriented economy—what we
would today call true capitalism or, perhaps better put, private
property and free exchange.
What then are we to make of the time when the early New Testament Church practiced a communal economy? Notice this in Acts 2:44-45:
“Now all who believed were together and had all things in common, and
sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone
had need.”
Does this teach that Christians should practice a communal economy
and way of life? First of all, we must understand that this was a
completely voluntary sharing of resources (see Acts 4:32;5:4)—not to be confused with a communist system wherein shared ownership is mandatory, amounting to theft of private property.
Secondly, this was a temporary circumstance during a time of
persecution and of thousands of new converts in Jerusalem, many from
foreign lands who were remaining for a while to learn from the apostles.
Sharing took care of an immediate need. The account in Acts shows that
these disciples were soon scattered to other regions (Acts 8:1, Acts 8:4). Later writings give us no indication that this short-term experience with communal living lasted very long.

Universal prosperity will come

For centuries, mankind has tried various systems to arrive at
prosperity for all and the elimination of poverty. Monarchies,
socialism, Marxism, fascism—all have failed. So-called capitalism, too,
despite some free-market benefits, has left millions in its economic
wake—being a system of government overregulation and cronyism in which
government colludes with business.
What has not been tried is true economic liberty through the government of God and God's economic system.
While on earth, Christ's mission was to preach the gospel (good news)
of the Kingdom of God. This gospel foretold a time when Christ would
return to earth to set up His Kingdom. Longtime readers of The Good News know this has always been the major focus of this magazine.
The good news is that the universal prosperity, greater equality of
income, and lives free from want that Pope Francis writes about will
come. But it won't come through man's political parties, papal
encyclicals, the churches of today's world or other human organizations.
It won't come through political movements calling for redistribution of
wealth, for “taxing the rich” or a higher minimum wage.
Your Bible makes hundreds of references to that coming time of peace
and prosperity unparalleled in human history. Bible prophecy foretells a
time when Christ Himself will return to the earth to rule.
God's Word gives us a few hints about the economy of this future
Kingdom. It will be an economy that values and preserves private
property rights, a hallmark of a capitalistic economic order: “Everyone
shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, and no one shall make
them afraid” (Micah 4:4).
Those privately owned farms will produce abundant harvests: “Behold,
the days are coming, says the Lord, when the plowman shall overtake the
reaper, and the treader of grapes him who sows seed; the mountains
shall drip with sweet wine, and all the hills shall flow with it” (Amos 9:13).
This economic order will allow those who work and profit to enjoy
the fruits of their labors, but it will also ensure a level economic
playing field that gives everyone a just opportunity to prosper.
God will then pour out His Spirit on the nations, and people the
world over will receive the loving character of God, meaning that the
way of the world will then be to help others in need. This will be
accomplished not through government taking from some to give to others,
but through an internal change in the hearts of people everywhere to
motivate them to generosity and showing true concern for their
neighbors. Best of all, God invites you to be part of this
exciting future!

Mike Kelley is a member attending the Huntsville, Alabama congregation.
A freelance writer, he writes for the Huntsville Times and several
business and technical publications. He is a long-time church member,
assisting as needed in the local church area. He and his wife Debbi have
two children and four grandchildren.